


Mothers and Sons

by horatiofrog



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Monty is an asshole, patching up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 13:02:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horatiofrog/pseuds/horatiofrog
Summary: Monty's back, and coming after Clay, Justin and Alex.  Can anything stop him?





	Mothers and Sons

“Clay, how are we going to explain _this_?” Justin Foley stared across the kitchen table at his adoptive brother, wincing at the black eye the older boy had received earlier.  “I’m pretty sure ‘I walked into a door’ isn’t gonna work with your mom.”

“Me?  Have you looked in a mirror lately?” 

Justin scoffed.  “This?” he said, waving his hand in the general direction of his face, which was littered with bruises.  “This is nothing.”

“Yeah?  Well, not anymore.  Any ideas?”

The two had been ambushed by Liberty High School’s resident psychopath and his lingering jock minions just before fifth.  They had been escorting Alex on his way to class, despite the younger boy’s protests.

 _“Guys, I can handle it,”_ Alex had complained.  _“Monty’s still pissed, that’s all.”_

 _“Yeah, right._ Before _or_ after _you become an Alex-sized punching bag?”_ Justin had countered.  _“We all know why he’s pissed.  Besides, it’s not like Jensen and I are in the clear.”_ Monty had been starting shit with the remnants of the old jock culture that still remained at Liberty.  He was pissed for three reasons:  Bryce Walker was gone, judged and tagged a rapist for the rest of his days; the possible championship baseball season had been forfeited, costing Monty valuable time with scouts and possible scholarships; and finally the news that Coach Rick had ‘decided to move on’ and was no longer at Liberty. 

While the last bit of information was a welcome relief to most of the student body (especially the ladies as well as the ‘reform’ jock squad led by Scott Reed) Monty saw it as his world falling into ashes and dust.  At the center of his ire was Hannah Baker, who was untouchable now.  Falling a close second was Jessica Davis, who had painted Monty’s teenage savior as an untouchable pariah.  He couldn’t touch her, though, without suffering severe consequences, and wisely kept his distance.

That left the ones Monty _could_ wreak havoc upon:  Alex Standall, for supporting Jess and the search for the truth; Justin Foley, who pointed the finger in court; and Clay Jensen, whose determination to get the truth was achieved, even at great physical and psychological cost.  It was now not uncommon to have Monty or his minions starting shit on an almost hourly basis now, and today had been the brunt of it.

“We could claim a herd of elephants took a detour…”

The heel of Clay’s hand connected with his forehead.  He was careful to avoid the large gash near his left eye.  “Try harder.”

“Riot broke out in the west hall?”

“Okay, I can work with that.  So…”  Clay paused, shaking his head.  “I got nothing.”

“Jesus fuck, Clay,” Justin cried.  “How the hell did you survive until now?”

“Um…lying wasn’t a requirement where I came from?”

Justin’s face fell.  “I didn’t mean it like _that,_ ” Clay backtracked.  “My lies were…more half-truths and omissions.” He shrugged.  “Comes from living with a lawyer.  Mom can smell bullshit a mile off.”

“Crap.”  Justin’s head sank onto the cool wood of the table.  “Fucking hell.”

“Besides, it’s not like we can hide her phone for a month.  The school’s bound to call about today, I’m sure.”

“You are just a ray of fucking sunshine, you know that, Jensen?”

Clay tried to grin.  He ended up looking like a bad version of Heath Ledger’s Joker.  The swelling was in full force, and his left eye was now open only a small slit.  “Could have been worse.”

“Yeah, Monty could’ve had steel toes on.  He has ‘em, you know.  His old man’s leftovers.”  Justin got up, rummaged through the freezer, and produced a bag of frozen peas.  He handed them to Clay.  “Use it.  Before the swelling gets worse.”

“Thanks," Clay said.  The cold vegetable compress felt wonderful. He noticed that Justin had taken a dishcloth from the drawer and wrapped ice cubes in it for the knot forming against his jaw. “We look like shit.”

“We look like we got our asses kicked.”

“We _did_ get our asses kicked.”  Clay sighed.  “And Alex looks worse.”

Justin exhaled slowly.  “I know.  Man, I’d _hate_ to be Monty when Alex’s dad finds out.”

“Why?”

The younger boy stared.  “Dude, he’s a cop.”

“And?  Our mother’s a lawyer.  Doesn’t make her Jason Statham.  Besides, he’ll just lie.  Like he did earlier.”  Clay recalled that exchange:  _Oh, I don’t know what happened.  Standall just lost his balance, I guess.  Knocked right into Jensen and Foley.  Me and the others, we were trying to help them up!_

“You know no one bought that.” Justin scowled.

Clay had to agree.  Monty and his entourage had been escorted to the administration office.  Alex, Justin and Clay got a free pass home – after their parents had been notified.  It was sheer luck that Justin could still drive the three of them home.  They’d offered Alex the chance to stay at the Jensen house and commiserate, but he’d opted for his own source of solace.  _“Hey, at least now I get sugar,”_ he’d told his friends.  _“Mom’ll take one look at me and I’ll get a banana split if I ask for it.”_

“Yeah, but we have enough witnesses.  What’s the betting Monty suddenly disappears after today?”

“Pretty good, I’d say.”  The sound of Lainie Jensen’s voice startled her children.

“Mom?  How long were you standing there?”

Lainie came in and took an appraisal of her sons’ injuries.  “I want names, boys.  And _no_ arguments.”

“It’s the same shit as last year,” Justin began.  “Monty.”

“The de la Cruz kid?”

Both boys nodded.  Clay winced as he did so.  “And his friends.  They got Alex too.”

“Alex Standall?”  Now Lainie’s interest piqued.

“Yeah.  He went home.”

“He looks as bad as we do,” Justin quipped.

“Mm.  Well, you seem to have first aid under control here…” The lady of the Jensen household began pulling out her phone.  “Keep doing what you’re doing until your father gets home.  Then we’re going to have that looked at.”  Her fingers flew across the screen of her iPhone, and Clay knew she was up to something.

“I’d give a lot to know what she’s up to,” Clay said.

“Me too,” Justin agreed.  “Come on.  You need more peas.  Maybe even a steak.”

“That’s an old wives’ tale, Justin.”

“Who said it was for your eye?”  Justin’s smile was infectious.

* * *

 

“Guys, what the hell…?” Jessica Davis said as she sat down to lunch the next day.  Clay’s left eye was a mess, all swollen and purple.  Justin looked like his face got caught in a blender.  Alex was moving more stiffly than usual, and a hint of fading bruise peeked under his hoodie sleeve as well as under his right eye.  “So this is what happened yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Alex said.  He flashed her a wide grin.  “But Monty’s not our problem anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” Justin said.  “He finally ran into the two things you never mess with – mothers with sons.”

Jessica looked confused.  “Okay…”

“Monty’s eighteen, Jess,” Justin said. 

“And Mrs. Jensen decided to press charges against him on our behalf,” Alex explained.  “Mom was all for it.  Dad actually went and arrested the fuckhead himself.  I think Mrs. Jensen is here now, taking statements.  She’s pissed.”

“That’s one thing you don’t wanna see,” Clay confirmed.  “My mom pissed.”

“So…he’s gone?  Like, really gone?”

Three sets of shoulders shrugged.  “Time will tell, but the reign of terror is over.  The law will see to that.”

“Amen,” Jessica said.  Then she picked up her sandwich.  “Ugh, tuna.  Anyone wanna trade?”


End file.
